you might dilute the quality of the regiment with some just signing up to get in to the Uk.

There’s thousands of applicants every year for a few hundred places so I don’t think the quality is going to suffer.

The Sands of Iwo Jima

PT 109

Apocalypse Now

Yes it was a British specialist that turned up with the Barret. They used it so much they ran out of standard ammo and had to start using amoured piercing rounds on people!

You always knew where you were with Prescott. He’s a thug but an honest thug.

Can I just in return say Dave was good on the today programme he even made me think he was sincere

That’s because, in common with Tony Blair, he’s a communicator. Despite what you may think of them or their policies your first reaction is to listen to them. Now Gollum Brown on the other hand has no natural communication skills and those that he has tried to acquire come across as completely false- I reckon he’s probably got Aspergers. I don’t think anyone is listening to him now.

I use the Miller and Kreisel K series. K-15 left right and front with K-9 subwoofer. The rears are quite unusual being M&K floorstanders- they slip in behind the couch. The K-15’s are tiny as you can see here

The sound quality is audiophile standard both for CD stereo and DVD. They are easy to drive and my Denon AV receiver which couldn’t cope with typical hard to drive hi-fi speakers like the Spendors I had before drive the M&Ks with ease.

The only issue they have is because they sound transparent and uncoloured, unlike typical hi-fi speakers which are tuned to sound “nice”, and ruthlessly expose poor recordings.

M&K invented the subwoofer configuration which was first used in a studio for Steely Dan’s Pretzel Logic album. Lucasfilm mix their movies using M&K. If they’re good enough for Walter Becker, Donald Fagan and George Lucas they’re good enough for me.

Weren’t the Blair’s expenses claims accidentally shredded?

No it was done on purpose.

Yep Mr Nutt it was at the 12 Bar

Bomber Command suffered a 44% death rate of flight crew. Those guys got into those planes and flew over a thousand miles there and back, at night over hostile territory knowing they had almost a 50% chance of never coming back. Takes some guts to do that. Average age of a Lancaster crew was 22.

Or Jose Mourhino

more interested in songs and lyrics than musical virtuosity.

Don’t confuse technical ability with artistry, they are not the same thing.

I’m more interested in melody and emotion- both can be communicated in a 3 min 3 chord pop song or a complex folk or jazz guitar instrumental. Sorry if it sounds elitist but it takes a bit of experience and knowledge to appreciate the latter which is why its less accessible and harder to market. I’m happy the Interweb makes it easier to find as an alternative to the stuff we’re fed by A&R departments- some of which I’ll admit is good.

If this makes me sound old and tedious then tough sh*t

Maybe you are confusing self belief with arrogance. Self belief is necessary to be a winner. Self belief without ability comes across as arrogance e.g. current candidates in the Apprentice. Judging by their performance this year Man United would seem to have ability. Get used to it winners quite often come across as arrogant because of their self belief e.g. Michael Schumacher

What’s the problem with Man United? Has everyone got the British disease of despising winners?

the Scousers WILL NOT be happy,

Well if all they have to define themselves is a football team and a pop group then I guess they’ve only themselves to blame for taking it too seriously.

BTW I’ve not a Man United fan nor am I from Manchester I just think we should stop being so negative about winners.

I’ve found a lot of interesting music just surfing youtube.

Glad you enjoyed the riding Bob. Now’s the time to ride Wiltshire as the recent dry spell has dried out the mud and the nettles and grass aren’t at full height yet.

Will be seeing them at The Big Session in June.

Enlighten us then. Why aren’t they just mercenaries? Not that just being mercenaries should prevent them from being UK citizens. Serve three years in the French Foreign Legion and you can apply for French citizenship. But the fact remains they knew the rules when they signed up.

Have a look at the contents of recovery drinks. You’ll find whey protein is the largest component. Whey protein = skimmed milk. Just drink some skimmed milk with a bit of salt in it. I also add honey and vanilla to improve the taste.

You can only wrap them up in cotton wool so much, and I suppose its part of growing up, but time like these are hard.

Understand your feelings but you have to strike a balance between protecting them an d letting them learn by experience. Just wish mine were out in the local woods making swings- its all I can do to get them away from the Disney channel.

Does it need fixing? Can someone with a better knowledge of history than me tell me why the Gurkhas are anything more than mercenaries who new the score when they signed up? I know it sounds harsh but really I’d like to know why they’re a special case.

Having said that I’ve no problem with granting them residency here and I’ve no doubt that they’ll make a bigger contribution to the UK than, for example the Somalis we let in.

The mans a genius

Indeed he is. The Dr Who theme morphed into a Jaques Brel number was inspired. He can also make people laugh without resorting to swearing which is increasingly rare these days- Michael MacIntyre excepted.

mikertroid you’ve gone and upset gg by calling nulabour commies. You should realise they’ve not gone nearly far enough for gg to honour them with that title.

Your username suggests you are new to the area. Suggest you hook up with the guys here[/url] They’re a friendly bunch who will show you all the best trails.

Certainly the trail (black dotted line) from Moel Fferna to the Ceriog Forest is accessible. There’s a trail off Moel Fferna to Cynwd but it might be a bit cheeky.

There’s also a great downhill off Moel Fferna down the dismantled railway and through the quarry to Glyndyfrdwy

Agree. That section must be one of the most congested roads in the UK.

Are BMWs really a handful on wet roads?

Not with the ESR stability control on. Also it doesn’t entirely stop the fun- if you overcook a corner in the wet it will let the rear slide and you can get a nice drift and power out of the corner without any fishtailing. Really overcook things and it will apply the brakes asymetrically to keep you on the road. You can also switch between ESR and DSC which is supposed to give more traction in snow but it really doesn’t help.

I’ve got a 06 320d touring. You can easily get two bikes and kit in it with the back seats down.

I know what you mean about the A4 Jon- well sorted saloon with a decent engine but nothing special to drive. The BMW is much more entertaining to drive- can’t beat rear wheel drive, 50:50 weight distribution and negligible understeer. Less space than the A4 though and the interior is not so nice. I get low forties fuel consuption from mine with enthusiastic driving on mixed A and B roads. The engine is great- smooth power delivery throughout the rev range (unlike the Jag diesel) and very smooth for a diesel. Downsides are lack of interior space vs the competition and the traction on snow mud and loose surfaces is very poor. It also eats tyres but that could be something to do with how I drive it. Only problem I’ve had is the bearing going on the alterator.

Will be changing it next year and will be looking for something with more interior space like a Merc C Class or BMW X3. Might even consider sacrificing handling and get an A4 quattro

Suddenly I feel very old. Still, none of this can beat a big black guy in a loud green jacket

Still got my 2003 5 Spot and will have until a)something better comes along b)it breaks. No sign of either happening.

Agree Smee. Any headwind over 15mph just sucks all the enjoyment out of road riding. Was going to cycle into work today but thought of a 20 mph headwind on the way home put me off. I’ll try tomorrow as its forecast to be calmer. Forecast is also for light rain but I prefer rain to a strong headwind.

A good rule of thumb is that the distance from the nose of the seat to your handlebars should be the same as the distance from your elbow to the tip of your middle finger plus the width of your hand

These

and this

Both ageless design classics which just do what they’re supposed to very well.

It can be harder to change career than you’d think. If someone is looking for a left handed widget maker they’ll probably be able to find one with experience- nice safe hire- safer than hiring you who’s just retrained from right handed widget making and who may be spectacularly brilliant at it but has no experience.

I experienced this when being made redundant from my last job which was a management position in the chemical industry. I thought I had transferable skills that would let me move into another sector like pharma but- no chance. Even if you are capable recruiters always take the safe option of someone who has experience.

I think the best way to change careers would be to pick something like teaching where there’s a short supply so recruiters have no choice but to consider inexperienced applicants

we will be buying a legacy next sod the price of petrol!

A diesel Legacy is now available.

I’ve got one and can confirm it doesn’t like to lift its front end as much as other bikes I’ve owned. No idea whether this is because of the wheel base or my crap riding. As Scienceofficer pointed out the long wheel base does make it very stable on fast rocky descents which is probably the terrain it was designed for. Having said all that a look at the Turner forum on mtbr.com will turn up plenty of photos of 5 Spot riders getting the front wheel in the air.

2 years later and there’s no new fence- and this is the first time you’ve spoken to them about it? Seems like a new fence isn’t one of your priorities ether. How much is a new fence worth to you? If its worth paying for the whole issue then get on and do it- if not just wait another two years and ask them again- maybe you’ll have new neighbours by then if the guys job is dodgy.

2 years later and there’s no new fence- and this is the first time you’ve spoken to them about it? Seems like a new fence isn’t one of your priorities ether. How much is a new fence worth t you? If its worth paying for the whole issue then get on and do it- if not just wait another two years and

Didn’t expect much from V for Vendetta but very pleasantly surprised. same for In Bruge.

As for Wall-E it was one of those films that certainly didn’t live up to the hype. Both Toy Stories were miles better.

All the evidence points to us inhabiting the organic scum on the surface of a small planet orbiting an unremarkable star in a quite ordinary galaxy amongst billions of other galaxies in a universe that is indifferent to our existence so -ve for me- but hey whatever gets you through the night as long as it doesn’t harm anyone else.

I have an interest in the history of science so for me it would be the period from the 1890s to the 1950’s which was a scientific golden age when so many fundamental discoveries were made in nuclear physics, quantum mechanics, astronomy and cosmology. Einstein’s special and general theories of relativity, Hubble’s discovery that the universe went beyond our galaxy and was expanding leading to the big bang theory, discovery of the structure of the atom and its exploitation in power generation and weapons etc etc.

Homeopathic remedies only contain sugar- pull the other one Tyler.

You know, I’d almost forgotten what your eyes looked like. Still the same. Pissholes in the snow

You’re a big man, but you’re out of shape. With me it’s a full time job. Now behave yourself.

Marvellous stuff, best British gangster movie